The only dead body I had ever seen before was that of a ten year old girl who was hit by a speeding truck as she headed for school. She was about to cross the road when the cargo truck came from nowhere, ran over her and left her lifeless body lying on the road. It was a terrifying ordeal for me that rendered my nights sleepless for almost a whole week.

I never intended to work in the mortuary and funeral service industry, I had never even considered it as a possibility until my savings went drying and bills were knocking at my door. I was left to fend for myself after I lost my parents to a grisly road accident when I was 15 years old.

Sometimes I would do odd jobs to bring food to the table but I never thought that working at a funeral home would be one of them. For a long time, my desire was to study and become a gynecologist just like my mother. She loved helping women and I thought that it would be wise if I followed on her steps. But now my dreams were being cut short due to lack of finances.

It was around 5:00 pm in the evening. I had attended martial classes just like every other evening. I had however come earlier than usual on this day. I love engaging my body into exercises, more so learning martial arts as it helps me to keep my head outside of itself. It is a good way to keep the body fit while learning some important skills.

When I arrived at the training center, I met my couch and a few other friends who had already arrived. I greeted them and engaged my couch into a talk. I was talking to him about how life had become hard for me and I needed a job to help me foot my bills.

One of the guys who works at a funeral home overheard us and he asked, “What kind of job are you looking for?” I then told him that I would do any job as long as it helped me to foot my bills.

“Can you pick dead bodies for a living?” This question first came as a surprise. I told him that I could do it.

Early the following morning I was interviewed for job at a funeral home. A week later, I began working in the mortuary service industry collecting bodies from nursing homes, residences and preserving them in the mortuary.

This is job that I never imagined myself doing it but it was now a reality. I was the only individual in the crew that was not qualified. The rest of my colleagues studied mortuary science in college and that is the work they would be doing for the rest of their lives.

Most of my colleagues were born in families that ran funeral services while others found their passion in helping grieving families. For me, this was entirely a new world for me and I kept my eyes focused to becoming a gynecologist. After working for one year at the funeral home, I used my savings to pay for my college fees where I went to pursue my dream course.